System and method for document delays associated with a project

• US 7,149,702 B1
• Filed: 12/31/2001
• Issued: 12/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Smith, Steven G., Mills, Jr., Ralph J., Davis, Mitchell E., Glascoe, Jr., Roy Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Jeanty, Romain
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sterrett, Jonathan G
• Application Number:
  US10/029,800
• Time in Patent Office: 1,807 Days
• Field of Search: 705/8
• US Class Current: 705/7.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063114 Status monitoring or status determination for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063118 Staff planning in a project environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06313 Resource planning in a project environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A system and method for documenting delays associated with a project. The present invention includes provisions that enables a field personnel working on a project on the field to document excusable delays as the delays are encountered. The field personnel is equipped with a communications device that has access to a server. During a communications session between the communications device and the server, the field personnel uses the communications device to upload project information related to the delays to the server. The server then invokes or updates a DMT to document the time associated with the delays. The delay time documented in the DMT is then subtracted from a total time reported by a maintenance clock associated with the project.

Claims

1. A system for documenting delays during a telecommunications service call project comprising:

a communications device operable by a user, wherein the communications device is adapted to receive from the user project information related to a delay in the field associated with a project with a service installation guarantee threshold, wherein reasons for delay comprise adverse weather conditions, lack of equipment, lack of technical expertise, customer postponement, customer is unavailable to accept restoration of service until all repairs are completed, and circuit verification is required by customer, the user selecting an option from the user interface to display a delay maintenance timer entry page where the project information related to the delay is entered, wherein the communications device receivers user log in information to create a communication session and to upload the project information related to the delay during the communication session;

a server accessible by the communications device via a communications network during the communications session to receive the project information from the communications device wherein the project information includes at least a duration and a classification of an excusable delay, wherein further an excusable delay comprises adverse weather conditions, customer postponement, customer is unavailable to accept restoration of service until all repairs are completed, and circuit verification is required by customer;

an elapsed time clock in communication with the server where the elapsed time clock measures the total elapsed time from the initiation to the completion of the project;

a delay maintenance timer in communication with server, wherein the delay maintenance timer aggregates all excusable delays encountered during the project in response to invocation by the server; and

a systems interface coupled to the server, wherein the systems interface is adapted to facilitate uploading of the project information from the communications device to the server during the communications session, wherein the server is further adapted to invoke the delay maintenance timer by submitting the project information related to the delay to the delay maintenance timer, wherein further at the completion of the project the server subtracts the aggregated excusable delay on the delay maintenance timer from the total elapsed time to determine a discounted project time, wherein the discounted project time is compared to the service installation guarantee threshold to determine if the project was completed within the service installation guarantee threshold.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the delay maintenance timer is associated with a legacy system.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the project information comprises at least a name of a person authorizing invocation of the DMT;

a customer name;

a telephone number of the customer;

a reason for the delay;

a date and time the agreement was reached with the customer;

a return date and time on which performance of the task should be resumed; and

comments.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the communications device is one of a telephone and a computing device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the systems interface includes one or more of a protocol server and a transaction server.

6. A method for documenting delays comprising the steps of:

while in the field, selecting by a user an option from a user interface of a communications device to display a delay maintenance timer entry page where project information related to a delay is entered, wherein the communications device receives user log in information to create a communication session and to upload the project information related to the delay during the communication session, inputting project information related to the delay associated with a telecommunications service call project with a service installation guarantee threshold using the communications device, wherein reasons for delay comprise adverse weather conditions, lack of equipment, lack of technical expertise, customer postponement, customer is unavailable to accept restoration of service until all repairs are completed, and circuit verification is required by customer, and wherein the project information includes at least a duration and a classification of an excusable delay, wherein further an excusable delay comprises adverse weather conditions, customer postponement, customer is unavailable to accept restoration of service until all repairs are completed, and circuit verification is required by customer;

establishing the communications session between the communications device and a server by launching the user interface in response to the user selecting an icon on the communications device that represents the option;

uploading the project information related to the delay during the communication session from the communications device to the server wherein the server is in communication with a maintenance clock where the maintenance clock measures the total elapsed time from the initiation to the completion of the project;

examining each reason for delay to determine whether the delay is excusable, wherein delays that are excusable are documented;

invoking by the server a delay maintenance timer that is in communication with the server only for delays that are excusable by submitting the project information;

aggregating all excusable delays encountered during the project at the delay maintenance timer in response to invocation by the server; and

subtracting the amount of excusable delay time on the delay maintenance timer from the total elapsed time to determine a discounted project time, wherein the discounted project time is compared to the service installation guarantee threshold to determine if the project was completed within the service installation guarantee threshold.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the inputting step uses a user interface at the communications device.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the establishing step involves a communication network and a systems interface.